Bismarck said politics is the art of the possible, but many fishermen would dispute that, because so often it is impossible to make sense of what politicians do.
Even so, Bismarck rightly appreciated that there is an art to manipulating “the affairs of men” to one’s advantage that begins with perceiving what it is possible to achieve.
And while power and money are undeniably assets in the practice of politics, so, too, is the will of the people.
We have seen this in Alaska this fall as U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, after being blindsided in the Republican primary, engineered what may well prove to have been the first winning write-in campaign in more than 50 years.
Key players in the diverse coalition of Murkowski supporters have been the United Fishermen of Alaska, which represents thousands of fishermen and 38 commercial fishing associations, as well as the 8,500-member Bristol Bay Native Corp., many of whose shareholders are salmon fishermen.
Alaska fishermen appreciate Murkowski’s support on a number of matters, including Exxon Valdez oil spill tax implications, salmon habitat protection, Capital Construction Fund reform, Clean Water Act enforcement and other issues.
Throughout the fall campaign, they displayed their appreciation with an outreach program that included get-out-the-vote efforts, blast e-mails, post-card mailings and plain old-fashioned sign waving.
And on Tuesday, “write-in” ballots garnered 41 percent of the vote, vs. 34 percent for the Republican candidate and 24 percent for the Democrat.
We tip our hats to the possible, and to the UFA, the Bristol Bay folks, and all those who make it so.
Thank you for your time.
Jerry Fraser
Editor & Publisher, National Fisherman
www.nationalfisherman.com
